Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Otay! - The Billy Buckwheat Thomas Story by William Thomas Otay! - The Billy Buckwheat Thomas Story. Hardback presentation version. William Thomas, the man known as "Buckwheat," one of the most beloved characters in the history of the and Little Rascals films, rose from obscurity to become an American icon. Billy's heritage grew to be more than the ninety-three comedies in which he appeared as Buckwheat. He was a husband, father, and soldier. Several generations have come to know Buckwheat as if he was a real person, but few knew Billy, the man behind the myth. In "Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story, . Read More. Hardback presentation version. William Thomas, the man known as "Buckwheat," one of the most beloved characters in the history of the Our Gang and Little Rascals films, rose from obscurity to become an American icon. Billy's heritage grew to be more than the ninety-three comedies in which he appeared as Buckwheat. He was a husband, father, and soldier. Several generations have come to know Buckwheat as if he was a real person, but few knew Billy, the man behind the myth. In "Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story, William Thomas, Jr., Billy's son, joins with acclaimed author David W. Menefee to brush back the sands of time and unearth the facts beneath the fable. For the first time, the true story is told how producer , Sr. plucked three-year-old Billy from hundreds of children and raised him on a pedestal before an adoring public. For a decade, Billy was the most prominent Black American in motion pictures, but World War Two brought an end to the famous comedy series and a halt to his film career. Billy went on to live a private, nearly normal life, married, fathered an adorable child, and then answered the call to arms and enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War. Years later, imposters attempted to steal his limelight, but Billy forgave the offense with his characteristic, childlike good humor. In an era when most Black American actors were struggling to gain a foothold in Hollywood, Billy achieved a lasting legacy. Enjoy the timeless tale of a baby superstar, who once shown brightly on movie screens during Hollywood's "Golden Years" and still fascinates audiences today. Read Less. All Copies ( 17 ) Softcover ( 10 ) Hardcover ( 6 ) Choose Edition ( 2 ) Book Details Seller Sort. 2010, BearManor Media. CONSHOHOCKEN, PA, USA. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, New Available Copies: 5 Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 15863226193 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Brand New BRAND NEW Amazing low price. ► Contact This Seller. 2010, BearManor Media. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 16692663067 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65 Trackable Expedited: €7,30. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority! ► Contact This Seller. 2010, BearManor Media. Columbia, MD, USA. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, Fine/Like New Available Copies: 3 Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 15367670549 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers. ► Contact This Seller. 2010, BearManor Media. Columbia, MD, USA. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, New Available Copies: 3 Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 15365249095 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers. ► Contact This Seller. 2010, BearManor Media. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, New Available Copies: 10+ Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2010 Language: English Alibris ID: 14096742950 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65 Trackable Expedited: €7,30 Two Day Air: €13,69 One Day Air: €18,26. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. ► Contact This Seller. 2010, BearManor Media. Glendale Heights, IL, USA. Edition: 2010, BearManor Media Trade paperback, New Available Copies: 10+ Details: ISBN: 1593935196 ISBN-13: 9781593935191 Publisher: BearManor Media Published: 2/1/2010 12: 00: 00 AM Language: English Alibris ID: 16675982718 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: €3,65. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Billie Thomas. William Thomas Jr. (March 12, 1931 – October 10, 1980), known as Billie Thomas , was an American child actor best remembered for portraying the character of Buckwheat in the Our Gang ( Little Rascals ) short films from 1934 until the series' end in 1944. He was a native of , . Contents. Our Gang [ edit | edit source ] Billie Thomas first appeared in the 1934 Our Gang shorts For Pete's Sake!, The First Round-Up, and Washee Ironee as a background player. The "Buckwheat" character was a female at this time, portrayed by Our Gang kid Matthew "Stymie" Beard's younger sister Carlena in For Pete's Sake! , and by Willie Mae Walton in three other shorts. Thomas began appearing as "Buckwheat" with 1935's Mama's Little Pirate . Despite Thomas's being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a female—dressed as a Topsy-esque image of the African-American "pickaninny" stereotype with bowed pigtails, a large hand-me-down sweater and oversized boots. After Stymie's departure from the series later in 1935, the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy, first referred to definitively as a "he" in 1936's The Pinch Singer . This is similar to the initial handling of another African-American Our Gang member, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, who worked in the series during the silent and early sound eras. [1] Despite the change in the Buckwheat character's gender, Billie Thomas's androgynous costuming was not changed until his appearance in the 1936 film . This new costuming—overalls, striped shirt, oversized shoes, and a large unkempt Afro—was retained for the series until the end. The reason for the change in appearance was so he could portray a runaway slave in the 1936 Our Gang feature film . [1] Thomas remained in Our Gang for ten years, appearing in all but one of the shorts, Feed 'em and Weep (due to sickness when Philip Hurlic filled in for him), made from Washee Ironee in 1934 through the series' end in 1944. During the first half of his Our Gang tenure, Thomas's Buckwheat character was often paired with Eugene "Porky" Lee as a tag-along team of "little kids" rallying against (and often outsmarting) the "big kids", George "Spanky" McFarland and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Thomas had a speech impediment as a young child, as did Lee, who became Thomas's friend both on the set and off. The "Buckwheat" and "Porky" characters both became known for their collective garbled dialogue, in particular their catchphrase, "O-tay!" originally uttered by Porky, but soon used by both characters. [1] Thomas remained in Our Gang when the series changed production from to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938. Thomas was the only cast member to appear in all 52 of the MGM-produced entries and was the only holdover from the Hal Roach era to remain in the series until its end in 1944. By 1940, Thomas had grown out of his speech impediment, and with Lee having been replaced by Robert Blake, Thomas's Buckwheat character was written as an archetypal black youth. He was twelve years old when the final Our Gang film, Dancing Romeo , was completed in November 1943. The character of Buckwheat in later years became synonymous with the derogatory "pickaninny" stereotype. [2] [3] However, the work of Thomas and the other black cast members as actors is credited with helping the cause of race relations by playing alongside white children as equals in a desegregated show during the height of the Jim Crow Era. [4] According to Julia Lee, author of Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals , Thomas and the others were "considered saviors in many ways" by the black community as the most popular black stars in the United States during the 1920s and 30s. [4] Later, during the 1950s and 60s, the NAACP fought against the tired and demeaning racial stereotypes and moved to have the television series ended. [4] [5] Later life [ edit | edit source ] Thomas enlisted in the US Army in 1954 at the age of 23, and was released from active military service in 1956 decorated with a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. After returning to civilian life, Thomas faced a dilemma shared by many of his co-stars from Our Gang . Though offered many film and stage roles, he had no desire to return to Hollywood as an actor. “After the Army, I wasn't really interested in the hassle of performing," he explained shortly before his death in 1980. "Even the big stars had to chase around and audition; it seemed like a rat race to me, with no security." [1] However, Thomas still enjoyed the film industry at large, and had a successful career as a film lab technician with the Technicolor corporation. He took his experience in film work as a spark to learn the trade of film editing and cutting. [1] Sons of the Desert Convention [ edit | edit source ] In 1980, the Second International Convention of The Sons of the Desert took place at the Los Angeles Hilton Hotel, with more than 500 fans in attendance. Several days were spent touring famous Hollywood attractions, and then the highlight of the gathering took place in the hotel ballroom. Among those honored were fellow Our Gang ers Spanky MacFarland, Dorothy DeBorba, , and Joe Cobb. When Thomas was brought out, he received a spontaneous standing ovation, and was moved to tears. [1] Death [ edit | edit source ] Thomas died of a heart attack in his Los Angeles apartment on October 10, 1980, 46 years to the day after his mother brought him to audition at the Hal Roach Studios. [1] Thomas is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. [6] Legacy [ edit | edit source ] In 1992, Thomas's son, Bill Thomas Jr. created the Buckwheat Memorial Scholarship for students at California State University Northridge in his honor. [7] Controversies [ edit | edit source ] The comedian and comedy actor Eddie Murphy performed a series of Buckwheat sketches on Saturday Night Live during the 1980s when he was a cast member. [8] But Thomas's co-star George McFarland, who played "Spanky" in the Little Rascals , made it clear that he hated Murphy's imitations. "I didn't care for them a bit. Mr. Murphy did a very poor imitation. He made Buckwheat into a stereotype that he wasn't, at the expense of the people in his family who are still alive." [8] In 1990, the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 aired a segment featuring a man named Bill English, then a grocery bagger in Arizona who claimed to be the adult Buckwheat. English's appearance prompted public objections from McFarland, who contacted media outlets following the broadcast to inform them that the true Buckwheat had been dead for ten years. Despite being confronted by McFarland on the television newsmagazine A Current Affair, English refused to retreat from his claim, maintaining that he had originated the role of Buckwheat, with other actors playing the character only after he had left it. The next week, 20/20 acknowledged, on-air, that English's claim had been false and apologized for the interview. The fallout from this incident included the resignation of a 20/20 producer [9] and a negligence lawsuit filed by the son of William Thomas. [10] OTAY! THE BILLY "BUCKWHEAT" THOMAS STORY (SOFTCOVER EDITION) by William Thomas, Jr., and David W. Menefee. William Thomas, the man known as "Buckwheat," one of the most beloved characters in the history of the Our Gang and Little Rascals films, rose from obscurity to become an American icon. Billy's heritage grew to be more than the ninety-three comedies in which he appeared as Buckwheat. He was a husband, father, and soldier. Several generations have come to know Buckwheat as if he was a real person, but few knew Billy, the man behind the myth. In "Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story , William Thomas, Jr., Billy's son, joins with acclaimed author David W. Menefee to brush back the sands of time and unearth the facts beneath the fable. For the first time, the true story is told how producer Hal Roach, Sr. plucked three-year- old Billy from hundreds of children and raised him on a pedestal before an adoring public. For a decade, Billy was the most prominent Black American in motion pictures, but World War Two brought an end to the famous comedy series and a halt to his film career. Billy went on to live a private, nearly normal life, married, fathered an adorable child, and then answered the call to arms and enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War. Years later, imposters attempted to steal his limelight, but Billy forgave the offense with his characteristic, childlike good humor. In an era when most Black American actors were struggling to gain a foothold in Hollywood, Billy achieved a lasting legacy. Enjoy the timeless tale of a baby superstar, who once shown brightly on movie screens during Hollywood's "Golden Years" and still fascinates audiences today. ABOUT THE AUTHOR. David W. Menefee was born in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, one of a long line of Menefees. His oldest known relative is William L. Menefee, born ca. 1796 in Knox County, Tennessee. In 1830, he and his wife Agnes (Sutherland) and their seven children moved to Jackson County, Texas. The settlement grew steadily, and for a time was known as Jarett Menefee's Supply Station. The settlement was eventually named “Bucksnort,” and according to local legend, the name was coined by an inebriated patron of the saloon. The Menefee family has been commemorated with a Texas Historical Marker #3332. David’s writing career began in 1979 as a writer and marketing representative for the Times Herald during an era characterized by fierce competition with a rival, the Dallas Morning News. In 1991, the Dallas Morning News bought out their competitor, closed its doors, and within weeks, razed the building to the ground. Associates from the Dallas Morning News invited David to join their operation. They combined their circulation with subscribers obtained in their acquisition of the Dallas Times Herald. David took on leadership responsibilities with their locally produced version of Parade Magazine, for which he contributed many articles. Like many of his contemporaries, David broke away from the newspaper industry in 2003 when failing economics forced many publications to downsize or close altogether. He struck out on his own as a freelance writer, immediately finding success as the accredited author of: Sarah Bernhardt: In the Theater, Film and Sound Recordings (McFarland 2003) The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era (Greenwood/Praeger 2004) The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era (BearManor Media 2008) Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures (BearManor Media 2009) George O’Brien: A Man’s Man in Hollywood (BearManor Media January 2010) “Otay!” The Billy “Buckwheat” Thomas Story (BearManor Media March 2010) Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story (BearManor Media December 2010) The Remarkable Mr. Messing (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) Brothers of the Storm (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) MARGOT CRANSTON The Secret of the St. Lawrence Lighthouse (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) MARGOT CRANSTON The Mystery at Loon Lake (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) MARGOT CRANSTON The Quest for the Jade Dragons (Menefee Publishing, Inc. 2011) In collaboration with Richard J. Maturi, he recently wrote the new screenplay for Triple Crown. As ghost writer, David has written: Slaves to Medicine by accredited author Dr. George Beauchamp (Brown Books 2006) Lilian Hall-Davis: The English Rose, by accredited author Richard Davis (unpublished) A Craving for Travel by accredited author Jim Strong (Brown Books 2009) Texting Harry by accredited author Connie Podesta (Brown Books 2010) As editor, David has supervised the creation of: Sonnets by Robert Brown (Brown Books 2006) Downtown Dallas, Romantic Past, Modern Renaissance by Mark Rice (Brown Books 2006) James Best Autobiography (BearManor Media 2009) Burlesque: A Living History (BearManor Media 2009) When Game Shows Ruled Daytime TV by Norm Blumenthal (BearManor Media 2010) Six Cult Films From The Sixties by Ib Melchior (BearManor Media 2010) Now and Then, The Movies Get It Right by Neal Stannard (BearManor Media 2010) Endless Summer: My Life With The Beach Boys by Jack Lloyd. (BearManor Media 2010) Will the Real Me Please Stand Up by Christopher Knopf (BearManor Media 2010) Tales from the Script by Gene Perrett (BearManor Media 2009) Best in Hollywood: The Good. The Bad. The Beautiful by James Best (BearManor Media 2009) Burlesque: A Living History by Jane Briggeman (BearManor Media 2009) Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time by Randy West (BearManor Media 2009) Radio Remembered: The Ultimate Guide to the Oral History of the Golden Age of Radio by Dave Siegel (BearManor Media 2010) Confessions of a Scream Queen by Matt Beckoff (BearManor Media 2010) From Cyrano to Magoo: My Years with José Ferrer and Jim Backus by Jack Lloyd (BearManor Media 2011) Little Girl in Big Pictures by Marilyn Knowlden (BearManor Media 2011) David is currently working as a full-time book editor, and as the author of several new fiction and nonfiction works. OTAY! THE BILLY "BUCKWHEAT" THOMAS STORY. William Thomas, the man known as "Buckwheat," one of the most beloved characters in the history of the Our Gang and Little Rascals films, rose from obscurity to become an American icon. Billy's heritage grew to be more than the ninety-three comedies in which he appeared as Buckwheat. He was a husband, father, and soldier. Several generations have come to know Buckwheat as if he was a real person, but few knew Billy, the man behind the myth. In "Otay!" The Billy "Buckwheat" Thomas Story, William Thomas, Jr., Billy's son, joins with acclaimed author David W. Menefee to brush back the sands of time and unearth the facts beneath the fable. For the first time, the true story is told how producer Hal Roach, Sr. plucked three-year- old Billy from hundreds of children and raised him on a pedestal before an adoring public. For a decade, Billy was the most prominent Black American in motion pictures, but World War Two brought an end to the famous comedy series and a halt to his film career. Billy went on to live a private, nearly normal life, married, fathered an adorable child, and then answered the call to arms and enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War. Years later, imposters attempted to steal his limelight, but Billy forgave the offense with his characteristic, childlike good humor. In an era when most Black American actors were struggling to gain a foothold in Hollywood, Billy achieved a lasting legacy. Enjoy the timeless tale of a baby superstar, who once shown brightly on movie screens during Hollywood's "Golden Years" and still fascinates audiences today. 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